At the top of the bracket, North Carolina had a big win over Duke and Tennessee had an even bigger win at Kentucky. It requires some serious hair-splitting to determine who has the better resume at this point… I’m giving a slight edge to the Vols, despite their head-to-head loss to Carolina.
Virginia had a huge win at Clemson and blew out Miami. They’ve won seven straight and there is no doubt that they are in. Clemson is in for now, but it’s starting to get uncomfortable. They have to start winning some games.
Virginia Tech missed an opportunity to get a big win at Miami. The Hurricanes then laid an egg against Virginia and dropped off the bubble, if they were ever on it. Wake Forest blew out Syracuse and looks like a tournament team, but they have to get a Quad 1 win, and then we’ll talk. If there is one inviolable commandment from the selection committee, it seems to be, Thou shalt have a Quad 1 win. Or else thou art going to the NIT.
NC State’s win over Georgia Tech didn’t really help them, except in the sense of not hurting them. My sense is that they have to go 7-2 down the stretch to get in. 6-3 with a win over Carolina or Duke would be interesting, I’m guessing not enough, but can’t say for sure right now.
Complete Bracket (auto bids in bold):
- Purdue, UConn, Houston, Tennessee
- North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Marquette
- Wisconsin, Alabama, Baylor, Auburn
- Illinois, Dayton, Iowa State, Duke
- BYU, San Diego State, Creighton, Florida Atlantic
- South Carolina, Utah State, Texas, Texas Tech
- Indiana State, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kentucky
- St. Mary’s, Clemson, Virginia, Florida
- Michigan State, Utah, TCU, Boise State
- Colorado State, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Washington State
- Northwestern, Ole Miss, Grand Canyon, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Butler
- St. John’s, Colorado, Princeton, James Madison
- Samford, McNeese State, UC Irvine, Vermont
- Akron, Louisiana Tech, UNC Wilmington, High Point
- Morehead State, Eastern Washington, Oakland, Quinnipiac
- Colgate, Lipscomb, Norfolk State, Southern, South Dakota St., Merrimack
Last Four Byes: Washington State, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Last Four In: Texas A&M, Butler, St. John’s, Colorado
First Four Out: Wake Forest, Villanova, Gonzaga, Xavier
Next Four Out: Providence, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Drake
And Then The Next Four After That: Kansas State, Oregon, Nevada, Richmond
And How About Four More for Good Measure: Memphis, Bradley, Iowa, Syracuse